Rooftop Tent Maintenance and Cleaning (Rust Issues)

[ouija]

I am fairly new to the RTT world and was curious what kind of care do you guys give your tents after using them. One of the biggest reasons why I ask is because I have had my tent for about two months and I have started to notice some surface rust on some areas around the ladder, the grommets, and the poles for the rain fly. I contacted the company and they stated that the pics that I sent them was "normal wear and tear" but in my opinion I would have thought I would have gotten some more use out of it before I noticed the rust. Do you guys spray your nuts and bolts with anything to add protection to the parts that could corrode? See the attached pics



Thanks in advance for the input

 

[ZMagic97]

You could wd40 them beetween use.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Looks pretty normal for something in a saltwater environment. Based on all the sand in the picture it doesn't look like the tent is not thoroughly cleaned and dried after use (which is absolutely necessary in those conditions). I would recommend removing the bedding after use and hosing the tent down with fresh water and then air drying in the sun.

 

[whatevah]

X2 on hosing off after use in salty areas. That looks normal for uncoated stainless steel or aluminum that's been exposed to saltwater. Maybe consider a good allpurpose oil like Ballistol? It's marketed mostly for guns these days, but is the best all-around oil that I've found. I don't even have WD40 anymore. Spray it on and wipe off the excess with a rag, or coat a rag and rub it onto the exposed areas. With repeated use, it leaves a thin coating like teflon that'll help prevent issues.

 

[steelhd]

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
Mostly firearms related products but they do throw WD40 and a couple common light oils in the mix. I have been using Breakfree CLP for most everything but have been keeping my eye out for Eezox.

 

[screwball48]

I have used Remoil with Teflon for several years. Many times I have applied it to rushed firearms then placed them into several months of storage. When the day came to take them out and clean up the rust I first had to scrub through the Remoil before I could work on the rust.


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